


Operation Wake The Dead For Christmas

by Hino



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Featuring like all the phantom thieves, For the Shuake Discord Secret Santa, Gen, and some Shuake if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 09:06:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17138945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: Akira never had time to mourn and move on from Akechi's death. Now a year later, he realizes how close to Christmas that the Detective died, how alone he'd felt during his life, and how the Phantom Thieves had the power to change it.For the Shuake Discord SS





	Operation Wake The Dead For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Momo, you got me.  
> I hope this isn't as awful as I think it is.

It's Christmas. Outside Leblanc, the snow falls gently. By midday it'll be deep enough that you'll have to wade through it awkwardly, and Morgana will inevitably get lost in it and call for help.

But none of that matters right now. Not to you anyway. Instead your heart is heavy, filled with mourning and loss. It's been a year since Akechi died on that boat, and it feels like you're the only one who cared. At the time, you didn't get to mourn properly. After all, you had more important things going on. Japan was about to be fucked over by Shido, and then Jaldabaoth showed up and you had to literally channel the Devil to destroy him, and then you'd gone to jail and gone home and everything was a blur. Adjusting to life at home again had been an ordeal, and then halfway through the year you'd gotten transferred back to Shujin and gotten swept up in lowkey Phantom Thieves missions that essentially were just delivering love letters and putting bullies in their place.

Now, you finally had time where you didn't need to do anything. You could just breathe and live one moment at a time, and so when the date of Akechi's death rolled around, you found yourself able to think about it and let the truth sink in.

 

Akechi had an apartment in Tokyo. He'd mentioned this once or twice, and before you really could ask why, you're texting Sae-san asking her if she knows anything about it. It takes her a minute to get back to you, and her message is surprised considering you all explained what happened in the Palace to her later on.  
"Why do you want to know about his apartment? Didn't he try to kill you?"

It takes time for you to text back. Organizing your thoughts without sounding like a creep is difficult, but eventually you answer. "I want to know what kind of person Akechi was."

As soon as you send the message, your phone vibrates again.  
"I'll take you there. Meet me in Shibuya."

Reading that makes you tense for a moment, before a wave of both relief and excitement washes over you. It isn't long until anxiety comes to replace it. You'd never been to Akechi's place before, and the idea of intruding on his space makes you uneasy. Still, you need to go there. This is something you need to do.  
With a quick word to Morgana and Boss, you're out the door and on a train to Shibuya.

 

It feels like an eternity has passed when the train pulls up. Wading past the crowd out for Christmas shopping, you make your way to the station square, just before the crosswalk leading into the main shopping area. Sae-san is there, waiting by the lottery stand with a scratch card in hand. From the look on her face, she didn't win anything. The memory of her palace comes to mind, and you find some amusement in comparing her high stakes court-level gambling with this minuscule scratch card.

"Ah, you're here." Sae-san tucks the ticket into her back pocket and approaches you. "The apartment is this way. Nobody has been there since..." For a moment she trails off, and you understand what she meant. Akechi meant something to her too, considering how closely they worked in their department. She clears her throat, trying to get back on track, and you offer her a reassuring smile. "Akechi-kun owned the apartment, so everything should still be there."

You stop walking, and Sae-san continues for a few steps before she realizes that you're not following her. "Is something wrong?"

"Would it be wrong if..." You trail, trying to focus. You're asking a weird question here, and you're not quite sure of the response you'll get. "I don't think Akechi ever got to celebrate Christmas with anyone."

Sae-san crosses her arms. "I doubt he did."

Now you're not sure what to say. As Joker you have all the words. Now as yourself, you find yourself lacking. "What if we celebrated at Akechi's apartment?"

 

Silence. Sae-san raises an eyebrow as the idea sinks in, and you're left feeling awkward, hands in your pockets. Celebrating Christmas at the empty apartment of a guy who tried to kill you, and subsequently died to save you, is a weird idea. You doubt that any of the Phantom Thieves are going to agree with it, or it'll take a good argument to make them understand your point, but part of you wants to include Akechi in something, in any way you can. 

While you're not awfully spiritual, the fact that Personas can exist, and that you shot God in the face, means that the idea of ghosts aren't entirely out of the question. Maybe Akechi is still around somewhere, wandering around. Maybe you can just pay his spirit tribute. Either way, you just want to show him in some way, he really was a part of your group.

"That's a good idea."

Whoa wait hold up. "Sorry?"

Sae-san shifts, dropping her arms to her side. "I think it's a good idea. I had intended to invite Akechi-kun to a Christmas dinner last year, but we both had cases which meant we couldn't attend. I've wanted to make it up to him since."

"I..." You trail off, not sure where to go, but Sae-san picks it up for you.

"There is a small supermarket near the apartment complex. I'll show you after." And with that she begins to walk again. Your mind is still reeling, but you follow after her, trying to get over the fact that Sae-san just agreed with you. Some part of you had worried that she would have shut down your idea the moment you said it. That part needs to give Sae-san more credit.

 

You trail after Sae-san as she leads you through familiar territory. There's a restaurant that you all had a Phantom Thieves meeting in when you came back to Shujin. Just a few meters away, you spy a shady little dvd store you went to with Ryuji, where you may or may not have acquired some adult films. Your journey takes you down another road where you spy a cafe that serves as many types of tea as Boss does coffee. Haru had been so excited when you'd taken her there, that she'd ended up inviting Makoto and Ann for a girls day out, which was weird considering you were also there.

So busy reminiscing, you walk straight into the back of Sae-san, stumbling backwards and apologizing frantically.  
"We're here," she answers instead, gesturing to the apartment complex. It's nothing special, not one of the most famous and beautiful complexes in Tokyo, but not too shabby either. "He's on the sixth floor."

You're at a loss for words. Akechi lived so close to the places you used to frequent. Maybe if you'd reached out to him, just invited him once or twice, maybe...

"Are you coming?" Sae-san is already in the lobby, pressing the button for the elevator. You snap back to attention, trying to suppress all the questions in your mind as you race to slip in the elevator doors. What-if questions are useless now. You can't change the past. Not like that.

 

The ride up to the apartment is slow but smooth. There isn't a lot of space in the elevator but Sae-san doesn't say anything about you bumping your elbow into her on accident as you enter. As it dings at the sixth floor and the doors slide open, a wave of anxiety and nausea wash over you.

You may have forgiven Akechi in some way, but that doesn't stop his words from hurting you, and his actions having left their mark. Because he kept secrets from you, the police caught and drugged you. There were persistent dreams of Sae-san not showing him the phone, and Akechi going through with his murder. You've lost sleep over this man, and his Persona had terrified you. Stumbling out of the lift, you brace yourself against the wall, trying to calm your breathing. Techniques that Futaba had taught you pass through your mind, and Ryuji's strategies for calming one's heart rate after a hard run begin to take over you. Slow steady breaths, in and out. You focus on the small bumps on the wall, of the smell of the hallway's carpet cleaner. Small grounding things that remind you that you're here, and that painful past is behind you, and that you are okay now.

When you've calmed yourself down, you stand up straight and offer Sae-san a smile. She offers one back, and you can tell that she did want to help you, but didn't know how. You appreciate the sentiment. Taking a breath to calm yourself, you manage to ask a question. "Which apartment is..."

Sae-san begins to walk towards the end of the hall, looking back at you to make sure you're following. "Akechi-kun lives at 6/1."

"The loneliest number of all," you mumble. It seems that Sae-san didn't hear it, considering she only fishes around in her pocket for a key and slides it into the lock. There's the click of the deadbolt, but then she steps back and motions for you to open the door.

 

Your hand is on the doorknob for a good five minutes before you can muster the strength to turn it. Your preconceptions of Akechi, and the time you spent together rise to the front of your mind and distract you. At some point Sae-san places her hand on your shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze, but you don't really respond to it. Still she keeps it there, a reassurance that you're not alone, and that she will help you if you need it.

The handle turns as you think of Akechi, smiling in Leblanc with his expensive coffee, and the door swings open.

 

You'd thought of Akechi as minimalist, and that's what greets you as you see the plain looking entryway, with some house slippers in a neat shoe rack and plain white walls. You did not however expect there to be a few photo frames hanging up further in that appear to have certificates and pictures of Akechi in them. Stepping in is easy; you're distracted, and Sae-san squeezes past to slip off her shoes and put on some slippers.

The door closes behind you as you absently change into the other pair of guest slippers. Akechi is both what you expected, and yet nothing like it. As you move further in, drawn in by the urge to learn more about him, your ideas and preconceptions are challenged. The initial idea seemed minimalist, but his couch looks old and comfortable, yet his dining table is formal and refined. There is a paradox, countless contradictions presenting themselves in the detached sterile nature of his kitchen and dining space, and the homely comfort of his living room and walls. It's like two different people lived here; and in some way it's true.

As you explore some more, you notice the thick layer of dust over everything. You'd missed it in the initial shock, but now you can see it piled high on every surface. A sigh from behind you reminds you that Sae-san is still here. "It's filthy in here."

"I guess that happens when you're..." Any attempt at a joke is gone, and you're left feeling hollow. Sae-san tries to say something, but you merely approach the balcony door and open it, letting in some air and disrupting the dust motes floating around idly. "I guess we should start cleaning."

 

Sae-san's groan seems to fill the apartment's empty air, and you feel it too, but it was your idea to have a party in an empty apartment. "Could you pick up some cleaning products at the supermarket? I'll ask Haru and Yusuke to help me clean up."

"Are you sure?" You can hear the unsaid question in Sae-san's voice. Are you sure that you want to be here alone, is what she's asking you. Are you sure you want to think about Akechi right now, in this space.

You pull out your phone and open the Phantom Thieves chat. "I'm sure."

She shuffles away, changing her slippers for shoes. The door opens and closes, and as it clicks shut, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. The air feels heavy, not just with the disturbed dust, but with the memory of who lived here. You bite your lip, and begin to type on your phone, hesitating for a good minute before you press send.

**Joker: I want to have a Christmas party at Akechi's house.  
Oracle: Christmas Party!! OwO  
Oracle: Wait Akechi's house Σ(ﾟДﾟ；)  
Joker: *Apartment  
Skull: dude wtf we can't party there  
Panther: But isn't Akechi-kun...  
Joker: Sae-san let me in  
Queen: Sis let you in?!  
Joker: She's coming to the party too  
Queen: That seems so unlike her.  
Noir: Why Akechi-kun's house? After all that he did to us...  
Fox: I too wonder why such a place was chosen.  
Joker: The reason is...  
Skull: ?  
Joker: I guess I just wanted to let him know we appreciated him.**

At this point the chat explodes. "Appreciated" probably wasn't the phrasing you'd meant, but now doesn't seem the time to correct yourself. There's outrage at your words, and then Haru tries to defend you, which Ryuji tears apart, which then just starts a whole new outrage. Exhausted already, you put your phone in your pocket and ignore the rapid vibration of group chat alerts as you move into the kitchen in search of cleaning products and some cloths to wipe the benches down with.

 

Apparently Akechi was a clean freak. Underneath his kitchen sink was enough cleaning products to sanitize a hospital. Coupling that with a few towels that you're sure would survive a round in the washing machine meant that you were ready to tackle the dusty mess that was Akechi's apartment. Sae-san comes back ten minutes later with her own supplies, and together you tackle the kitchen, scrubbing it clean as best you can, making sure to get every little bit of dust.

A half hour after you start your war on dust, you dare to check the group chat again. The entire time your phone has been buzzing incessantly, and there's an anxiety that bubbles in your chest as you unlock it and open your messages.

**Oracle: I don't want to forgive him ヽ(*｀Д´)ﾉ  
Noir: Neither do I.  
Panther: We don't have to forgive him! It's not about that  
Skull: its about telling him he isnt alone  
Fox: I'm not usually one to agree, but I think Ryuji is right.  
Skull: hey!  
Oracle: Get dunked on Skull  
Joker: I don't want you to forgive him.  
Joker: But he died for us.  
Joker: And he let his hatred control him.  
Joker: We could have been like him, but we had one another.  
Joker: Akechi didn't.**

There is silence in the group chat, and you use that time to change your cloth for a fresh one. As you start wiping the bench down again, the chat comes to life again.

**Fox: I hate to be a bother, but could someone send me some money for the train?  
Oracle: Hey Joker are you at Akechi's house now?  
Oracle: I'm tracing your GPS  
Oracle: brb ε=┌(;･_･)┘   
Panther: Should we bring anything?  
Noir: I'll bring some decorations!  
Skull: guess i'll swing by and grab mona  
Oracle: Nah I got him (￣一￣)b  
Oracle: Here's the address  
Makoto: Let's meet up in Shibuya and walk over.  
Noir: Who is on snack duty?**

"What're you smiling at?"  
Sae-san's voice startles you so much that you almost drop your phone. You try and defend yourself, but her laughter cuts you off. "I guess you convinced everyone."

Pride wells in your chest. "Yeah. I think I did."

 

The kitchen is presentable and ready for use when there's a knock at the door. You set down your cloth and move to answer it while Sae-san continues washing the dishes she found in the cupboard. They were all disgusting, and she insisted that if you were all to have a party here, you would not be eating on dusty plates.

Behind the door you can hear your friends talking, all squabbling about who should be doing what to prepare for this party. It warms your heart; they may not be doing this for Akechi, not in the same way you are, but they aren't excluding him or his memory from the gathering, and that means something to you.

As you open the door, you are greeted with the other seven members of the Phantom Thieves, all waiting patiently for you to invite them in. Haru is holding a box filled to the brim with Christmas decorations. Ryuji and Yusuke have arms laden with snack foods, while Ann is holding a large cakebox, presumably with some Christmas Cake inside. Morgana is perched upon Futaba's shoulder, watching as she types away on her phone, and Makoto seems to have a large backpack that is leaking wires.

"I hope you brought some slippers," you manage to joke as you open the door.

Immediately Ryuji and Makoto launch into an argument. "I told you we should bring some," she says as she reaches into one of Yusuke's bags and drops a pair of house slippers onto the floor.

"What kind of place doesn't have spare slippers?" Ryuji retorts as he tries to retrieve some more pairs from his own bags. The rest of the Phantom Thieves roll their eyes, and Morgana murmurs something that makes Ryuji ruffle the cat's fur. Their squabbling continues as they step in and change their shoes for the slippers Makoto insisted they buy, and it intensifies as Sae-san divides and orders them to clean sections of the apartment.

"-and you." Sae-san points at you, and you tense. Even outside the courtroom she still radiates that aura of a woman in control. "You can clean the Butsudan."

 

Everything stops for a moment. Your fellow Phantom Thieves tense, but slowly begin to shuffle away to their posts. It's not something they can comment on, or relieve you of. After all, they have no strong attachment to Akechi, not like you. It'd be wrong if they were to do such a thing, at least in their eyes.

A weight on your shoulder and a momentary pain alerts you that Morgana has claimed you as the new perch, bringing you back to your senses. "That hurt."

"You try jumping on someone's shoulder without using your claws." Morgana huffs and turns his head away from you, but you know he was secretly trying to comfort you. Reaching a hand up, you scratch under his chin, letting your heart rate settle as Sae-san goes back to cleaning the dishes. Morgana begins to tenderize your shoulder, and you take that as a sign that you should get to work.

 

The Butsudan is in the corner of the living room, and as you approach, you notice that it has been looked after remarkably well. If it wasn't for the thick layer of dust, you'd think Akechi was just here. The doors are wide open, and inside you see the image of Buddha as well as his statue. Accompanying it though is a framed photo of a woman, smiling and holding a child.

"Who knew Akechi was a cute kid?" Morgana asks, but you don't answer him. You're too caught up in looking at the photo. Akechi is smiling, genuinely smiling as his mother hugs him from behind. Her hair is the same colour as his, but she wears it down, resting on her shoulders.

"He has his mother's eyes," you softly note as you carefully remove the picture frame. Delicately, you remove the back and take the image out, carefully laying it aside so you can clean the frame without worrying about the photo getting covered in some kind of cleaning product. "Same nose, too."

"Are we ignoring the blatantly obvious hair colour?" Morgana leaves your shoulder, knocking you back a little as he lands and pads over to the photo, making sure not to touch it. "Honestly, they're like twins!"

"I don't think their hair is similar in any way," you answer with a smirk as you wipe down the simple golden frame Akechi had chosen. "I don't know what you're seeing there."

Morgana arched his back, tail puffed with irritation "Joker, stop being such a... a joker!"

You softly laugh, making sure the frame is dry, and the piece of glass that keeps the picture nice and safe is ready to go back in. With more care than is probably needed, you put the photo back in, making sure to do the back up tightly so it won't come undone without some actual effort. With that set aside, you get to work on the rest of the Butsudan. You haven't tended to one of these in years; not since your grandmother passed away several years ago. Boss doesn't have one, and there's no room up in the attic for you to set one up yourself. It seems from Morgana's general curiosity that he doesn't know what it is, and you take it upon yourself to explain it to him.

 

By the time you've cleaned the Butsudan and the surrounding area, Morgana more or less understands the culture surrounding it. It helped that both Sae-san and Makoto chimed in once or twice to correct you, or elaborate. You should have counted on the Nijima household being more knowledgeable on the topic.

It also seems as if everyone else has cleaned their respective parts of the apartment. Sae-san was in charge of the kitchen, and as she hauls out a bag of year-old expired food, both you, Yusuke, and Futaba salute her for her sacrifice.

The urge for a bathroom break hits you suddenly, and you quickly excuse yourself, poking your head into every room until you find the toilet. It seems as if Haru was in charge of cleaning this space, seeing as it is both sparkling clean, and also adorned with Christmas decorations. There's tinsel on the shower, baubles on the railing, and a smiling Santa resting on the back of the toilet that makes awkward eye-contact with you as you pee. Halfway through you turn him around so he doesn't have to look at you.

When you return to the main room, you're surprised at how fast Haru has gotten to work. There's already tinsel and ornaments hanging from the curtain that covers the balcony doors. Ryuji is currently trying to help Futaba position a small, three foot tall Christmas tree, while Yusuke guides them to the perfect aesthetic position. Morgana is trying to steal sweets from the kitchen, while Sae-san, Makoto, and Haru organize platters. Ann is in the corner, attending to the speakers that must have been in Futaba's bag, trying to hook them up. You quickly move over to help her before she inevitably breaks something and incurs Futaba's wrath. "I'm fine," Ann insists, trying to plug in a cable. You quickly snatch it from her before she forces it into the wrong jack. "Okay, maybe I'm not fine."

 

You explain the sound system to Ann and soon you're both plugging Futaba's laptop, following her instructions to the letter. Actually you're the one plugging it in, but Ann is translating it for you since Futaba thought it was cool to change her operating system to English and you still haven't picked up much of the language. You're so wrapped up in it, that when the loud thumping music emits from the speakers placed right next to you, the yelp of surprise cannot be held back.

Ryuji's laughter takes time to suppress, and Yusuke's snickers do nothing to soothe you. You quietly mumble to yourself about how it's not that funny, but when Futaba comes back from the bathroom and Ryuji explains what happens, she starts cackling and your embarrassment flares as you try to defend yourself.

You're so wrapped up in trying to silence your giggling entourage that you don't realize Sae-san is missing, not until the door clicks shut and she re-enters the room. "It seems like the party has already started? Have I missed much?"

Ryuji opens his mouth and you practically scream "you missed nothing!" at her, which in turn makes them laugh harder. Sae-san laughs too, and you faintly hear "Don't laugh Mako-chan!" which only makes your blush grow more intense.

 

It seems as if their laughter will never end, but Sae-san reaches into the plastic convenience store bag she's holding and pulls out a six-pack of beer, followed by a bottle of soju. "Don't tell anyone," she says as she sets it on the kitchen counter and turns her head away.

Immediately the laughter is replaced with shocked gasps and cheers. While you're not a big advocate for underage drinking, you also trust Sae-san to make sure none of you get too wasted. Futaba casts you a look, and you hold up one finger, indicating that she can only have one drink, or Boss will put both of you in a shallow grave.

Haru begins to pour the soju, seeing as she's the most experienced with alcohol due to wine being commonly served at the business dinners she attended with her father. Makoto watches over it all, while the others go between the snack platters and the soju line. Morgana is watching the platter carefully, deciding whether he wants to try fighting Ryuji for the small tuna strips or just let the boy win for once.

It's so peaceful and normal, that for a moment you forget that you're all in Akechi's apartment, until Sae-san gently touches your shoulder and draws you back to reality. You turn to face her, surprised to find her offering you the convenience store bag.  
"You said you wanted to celebrate with Akechi-kun, right?"

You accept the bag with a raised eyebrow, opening it cautiously and looking into it. The first thing that catches your eye is a picture frame. It isn't ornate or fancy in any way; just a plain silver frame with a black backing board. It's what's under that frame that really catches your attention. Slightly bent from being in a bag with liquor is an image of Goro Akechi, smiling politely while eating what appears to be a candied apple. You can tell he's genuinely happy in that moment, even though he seems to be somewhat subdued. You pull the photo out of the bag and look at it, trying to take in every little detail of his face.

 

"We went to a festival together as part of a work exercise. Something about 'building friendship and camaraderie' or whatever the higher ups wanted to promote," Sae-san commented, casting her gaze over to the others, making sure they weren't making a mess, or getting into any trouble. "Since you said you wanted to show Akechi-kun you cared..." she trailed, but you understood what she meant.

You took the photo frame from the bag with care, prying the back off and inserting the photo of Akechi, double checking that it was the right way up, and didn't have any dirt obscuring his face, before reattaching the back. "Thank you, Sae-san."

"It's nothing." She waved it off casually, not wanting to cause a scene. "Makoto, are you drinking?!"

At her words, Makoto tensed. "I thought I could?" she answered. Sae-san sighed, moving over to scold her younger sister. It shifted attention away from you, letting you go put Akechi's photo on the Butsudan without a fuss. Gently, you moved the photo of Akechi's mother over, placing Akechi's photo down beside it. The silver frame seemed to compliment the ornate gold one, and you find yourself smiling at how they compliment each other.

 

With Sae-san there to regulate both the alcohol and the snack hoarding (due to Ryuji stuffing twenty pocky sticks into his mouth, and Morgana managing to fit six little portions of fatty tuna in his mouth at once), the party began to kick off. The playlist that Futaba had curated had all your favourite tunes on it, and more than once everyone had joined together for a slightly intoxicated chorus, complete with slurred words and giggling. At some point more alcohol had shown up, although nobody was really sure where it had come from. They had Sae-san's blessing though, and so it began to be poured and passed around, creating a fuzzy yet comfortable environment. 

You watched peacefully from beside the Butsudan as Ryuji took the floor, trying to teach Yusuke and Futaba how to do the Running Man. Futaba was getting it, although Yusuke kept trying to stop her partway through in order to correct her posture, since she couldn't keep the same pose through the entire move.  
"You don't gotta be consistent! It's all in the legs!" Ryuji had declared, demonstrating the move again.

"The upper body is too important!" Yusuke argued back, trying to explain his point to Ryuji. Futaba had merely escaped the argument and joined forces with Ann and Morgana, doing their own little Running Man group, which Makoto soon entered, and Sae-san eventually joined after some pleading.

"I bet you never thought the Phantom Thieves were like this," you mumble to the Butsudan, casting a soft, slightly tipsy gaze at Akechi's photo. "Arguing over the running man. Drinking underage. Being so..." The words don't come to you, but that's okay. You weren't the public speaker. Most of the time you speeches were stolen from that candidate in Shibuya Square, or workshopped with Makoto.

Any attempt to finish your sentence is ruined when Haru loudly shouts, "I'll show you how to do it!" and performs the moves so well that even Yusuke is silenced.

 

Something wells in your chest, as they're all laughing and dancing around to the foreign beats of Futaba's laptop. You take the photo off the Butsudan and get to your feet, admittedly a little shaky after your third drink. The song changes, and it's a dance you know well, as do the rest of your party guests, and as they get into the swing of it, you do too.

The drunken singing mingles together in an off-tune harmony. Your steps are all slightly stumbled, and your friends aren't better. Even responsible Sae-san is a little uneasy, but the atmosphere is so light and happy.

You think Akechi would have liked this. He would have laughed, in that genuine he did at Leblanc, where he hides it behind his hand and tries not to make it obvious. "Here we are," you say quietly, because you know the dead can hear anything. "We're dancing in your apartment. All of us are here-" you stop only to avoid Morgana, who had weaved between your feet. "We're all here to celebrate with you. We love you, and- whoa!"

The picture is taken from your hands by a very drunk Ryuji, who immediately starts smudging the glass with his fingerprints as he pokes an accusatory finger at Akechi's face. "You smug bastard, ruined a whole lotta good people, and I hate that! But, you had a shitty dad and oh god I have a shitty dad, Akira help me!"

Ann rescues the photo as Ryuji tosses it aside and sobs into your chest about how he doesn't wanna be an evil murderer, and you gently comfort him as the music changes again to a softer, more relaxed tune. You see Ann put the photo back in its appropriate place before trying to pry Ryuji away from you and redirect him to the snack platter. A laugh escapes you despite how you smother it, and a sigh follows along as you cast a gaze to the Butsudan once more.

 

For a moment, only a moment, you see Goro Akechi.  
He's sitting on top of the shrine, drinking from a plastic cup. There's a stupid Christmas hat on his head, and tinsel draped over his shoulders like a scarf. It's dumb, and beautiful, and his eyes meet yours and in the roar of the party, you hear him say two words that make you smile and encourage you to dance the night away.

"Thank you."


End file.
